Recent reports from investigations have indicated that Apple, Inc (APPL) has switched suppliers from India where they had been harvesting unicorn tears to enhance the lickability of the iOS device screens and enhance the magicalness of the operating system. Reports from several anonymous sources suggest that unicorn tears were not retaining potency among technology consumers and Apple sought more potent means to ensure the necessary qualities of their iDevices.

Enter the Thai Upsorn Srihas. Found abundantly in the Himmapan Forest, the half female human/half-deer creature sheds tears abundantly in both happy and sad states, easing what Indian collectors claimed was trouble depressing unicorns enough to get them to cry. The Upsorn Srihas tears not only are magical, and carry the requisite lickable factor, but also carry a third element, an undefined sexiness, that Apple surely was intending to leverage as well. With recent flooding in Thailand, the Upsorn Srihas have moved deeper into the Himmapan Forest, causing delays as native tear collectors have to travel further to colelct and then find safe routes to deliver the magical fluid to designated temporary depots, set-up to replace regular depots currently impacted by flooding.

If you are going to insist on being an ass, at least demonstrate the intelligence to be a smart one

Surely the iPhone 4 is the fastest selling electronic device on the planet (based on the seemingly arbitrary 60 days timeframe) besting the Kinect accessory by a large margin. So why no mention of this in the news?

I wonder if Samsung would stoop so low as to hold back production of an iPhone 4S component.
In an attempt to slow down iPhone 4S sales.

Just a thought.

They would blow off their foot to spite their toes. First, they open themselves to liability for entering into a supply contract in "bad faith" -- that alone would probably put them on the blacklist for many companies thinking about doing business with them as a component supplier. And Apple sure as hell would probably never use them again.

Secondly... really? People who want an iPhone are going to wait in long lines and sometimes weeks to get their hands on an Apple product. If there's a supply constraint on iPhones, it's not going to translate into better Samsung sales.

I could never understand why someone would even think about getting the older phone just because it's "Free" or costs $50 less. Think about it, your paying on average near $2,000 over 24 months for the phone and service and your worried about the $200 cost for the new phone? Give me a break.

"Repositioning the legacy 3GS at the entry level buys Apple time, but it is a dated product with limited shelf-life," Kumar wrote.

Limited shelf life? It delivers a better user experience than 80% of the Android phones shipping today. Then again, since most Android phones last less than six months before being replaced with a new model I can understand his confusion.

Quote:

"A (purpose-built) lower end SKU is key for Apple to grow share."

Huh? This makes no sense at all. What exactly would it look like? How exactly would it fit into the ecosystem? How could you prevent fragmentation of apps and complexity for users and developers alike?

I could never understand why someone would even think about getting the older phone just because it's "Free" or costs $50 less. Think about it, your paying on average near $2,000 over 24 months for the phone and service and your worried about the $200 cost for the new phone? Give me a break.

I could never understand why someone would even think about getting the older phone just because it's "Free" or costs $50 less. Think about it, your paying on average near $2,000 over 24 months for the phone and service and your worried about the $200 cost for the new phone? Give me a break.

It's the same reason why people buy cheap PC's. It's the upfront costs that many people look at.

I wish AI would stop posting stuff said by analysts who have no direct insider knowledge. In most cases it would seem like their "analyst" moniker gives them the right to make up some crazy bullshit that they actually believe. The majority of AI readers could release rumours closer to the truth than these so called professionals.

Limited shelf life? It delivers a better user experience than 80% of the Android phones shipping today. Then again, since most Android phones last less than six months before being replaced with a new model I can understand his confusion.

Huh? This makes no sense at all. What exactly would it look like? How exactly would it fit into the ecosystem? How could you prevent fragmentation of apps and complexity for users and developers alike?

Just comments from another clueless backseat driver

Well, no. If Apple can do what it's doing now, then they'll be ok. But they do need to replace old phones after a while. Are you suggesting the 3GS stay around another year after this?

The problem is that apps and games must work on the older devices, limiting what they can do on the newer ones. It's not likely that the 3GS will accept iOS 6, or that if it does, whether it will get enough new features for people to care. If that happens in the late summer, it will be a bomb.

I would think that the cost of the old hardware is depreciated enough so that it costs Apple a lot less to make than it did. Surely the old screen must. But it's a not very good screen these days. It must be replaced

My wife and daughter still have 3G's. My daughter has a 3GS for school in London. Neither wanted to upgrade last year when I bought a 4, moving from my 3G.

The performance of the 3GS when compared to my 4 was, well, sluggish. Now I have a 4S, and they will get them in December when my daughter gets home from school. Compared to my 4S, my old 4 is, well, sluggish. Comparing the 3GS to my 4S will have to wait until the 10th when my daughter gets home, but how well do you think it will do? Not very well at all.

It's both kudo's to Apple that the 3GS has still been selling so well, and a Bronx cheer to other manufacturers and OS's that it is as well. But something's got to give, as they say. Other phones will be 3 years newer in a few months, and no matter how good the 3GS might be, it's falling well behind.

I don't see why Apple couldn't come out with a newer model based on the same basic case, which costs less than the one for the 4 series, but with a newer SoC, to better match current performance. A slightly better screen is needed as well. If Apple can do that for slightly lower margins, then it would sell even better than the 3GS.

I wish AI would stop posting stuff said by analysts who have no direct insider knowledge. In most cases it would seem like their "analyst" moniker gives them the right to make up some crazy bullshit that they actually believe. The majority of AI readers could release rumours closer to the truth than these so called professionals.

These reports are quoted all over the web. It's fine that they be quoted here as well. It does engender discussion, which is what's intended.

The problem is that apps and games must work on the older devices, limiting what they can do on the newer ones. It's not likely that the 3GS will accept iOS 6, or that if it does, whether it will get enough new features for people to care. If that happens in the late summer, it will be a bomb.

How does a "purpose" built low end device solve this?

Quote:

I would think that the cost of the old hardware is depreciated enough so that it costs Apple a lot less to make than it did. Surely the old screen must. But it's a not very good screen these days. It must be replaced

Have you seen the majority of Android phones shipping today? The 3GS is still heads and shoulders above the shovelware...

Quote:

The performance of the 3GS when compared to my 4 was, well, sluggish. Now I have a 4S, and they will get them in December when my daughter gets home from school. Compared to my 4S, my old 4 is, well, sluggish. Comparing the 3GS to my 4S will have to wait until the 10th when my daughter gets home, but how well do you think it will do? Not very well at all.

Sure, but for those who are short sighted and cost conscious, a sluggish iPhone is better than none at all.

Or a sluggish Android phone

Quote:

It's both kudo's to Apple that the 3GS has still been selling so well, and a Bronx cheer to other manufacturers and OS's that it is as well. But something's got to give, as they say. Other phones will be 3 years newer in a few months, and no matter how good the 3GS might be, it's falling well behind.

Falling behind what? Feature checklist compliance or in usability?

Quote:

I don't see why Apple couldn't come out with a newer model based on the same basic case, which costs less than the one for the 4 series, but with a newer SoC, to better match current performance. A slightly better screen is needed as well. If Apple can do that for slightly lower margins, then it would sell even better than the 3GS.

It would be far cheaper for them to replace the 3GS with the 4 next year. Which is exactly what I expect them to do. Why go through the expense and resources to develop a whole new phone when they have a fully amortized and still highly desired device just sitting there?